Therapy for Couples, Individuals, and Families

Emily Cook Therapy opened its doors to the Montgomery County / Washington DC metro area in 2014 and features a diverse group of experienced marriage and family therapists. We are conveniently located in downtown Bethesda, MD within walking distance of the Red Line Bethesda Metro station and public/private garage parking.

Come, let’s sit together and talk. We’re here to help you make positive, lasting changes and repair and enrich your relationships.

“The stars we are given. The constellations we make. That is to say, stars exist in the cosmos, but constellations are the imaginary lines we draw between them, the readings we give the sky, the stories we tell.”

- Rebecca Solnit

What are you searching for?

Searching for good help and the right therapist can feel like being lost at sea.

Perhaps you’re on the sinking ship of a marriage in desperate need of repairs. Perhaps you’re adrift on a raft without a paddle, feeling unable to steer your life in the direction you want, getting closer to the rocks. Perhaps you’ve been swimming for a long time and you’re tired and afraid that you can’t keep swimming like this for much longer.

Let us be a lighthouse. A place of shelter from the storm, a place to repair your vessel, and a place to chart your next course.

Click on the words below to learn more about how therapists at Emily Cook Therapy bring joy, confidence, healing, direction, skills, and connection into your life and relationships.

The Marriage Counseling Workbook:8 Steps to a Strong and Lasting Relationship

Our owner, Dr. Emily Cook, wrote a book! With exercises and examples from marriage counseling sessions, The Marriage Counseling Workbook reconstructs how you and your spouse think about, communicate with, and show love for one another.

Emily Cook Therapy Offers A Wide Range Of Services

Depression Therapy, Bethesda MD

Our approach with clients suffering from depression is a combination of talk therapy, lifestyle changes (such as diet, exercise, and sleep habits), and coordination of care with other medical professionals who may prescribe medication if appropriate. We work together to process your feelings, we problem solve how depression gets in your way of wholehearted living, and we heal relationships that have changed. Our therapists believe that feeling joyful again is possible, but our optimism and hope will never negate your experience of sadness. Read more about individual therapy for depression.

Couples Therapy, Bethesda MD

We offer couples therapy for partners who are looking make positive changes in their relationships, whether they are dating, engaged, married, or committed. Our Bethesda, MD couples therapists blend strategies and interventions from several couple therapy models to fit our conversations to your unique goals. By learning new skills, healing emotional injuries, experiencing each other’s vulnerabilities in a safe way, and gaining insights about how each partner’s past influences current behaviors, we work together to build a compassionate and joyful relationship. Read more about couples therapy in Bethesda, MD.

Family Therapy, Bethesda MD

Our therapists know how challenging the adjustment to parenthood can be. No matter the age of your children, family therapy is a helpful way for each family member to express their concerns and learn to work together toward common goals. Our Bethesda, MD family therapists can help you as you transition to parenthood through pregnancy or adoption, adjust to life with a newborn, set appropriate limits and boundaries for behavior problems in young children, and communicate more effectively in ways children and teens understand. Parents will leave feeling more united as a team, and children/teens will leave feeling understood and loved. Family therapy is also beneficial for siblings and extended relatives. Read more about family therapy in Bethesda, MD.

Discernment Therapy, Bethesda MD

Discernment counseling differs from marriage counseling in important ways. The goal of discernment counseling is not to solve problems in the relationship, but to figure out whether partners want to solve the problems. Both partners’ agendas (one wanting to stay, one wanting to leave) are honored, so the process balances individual and couple conversations. And discernment counseling is always short term, lasting 1-5 sessions. Our Bethesda, MD discernment counselors know how challenging it can be to make a decision about the future of a troubled relationship. You will leave discernment counseling sessions with greater clarity and confidence to make a decision, based on a deeper understanding of what’s happened to your marriage. Read more about discernment counseling in Bethesda, MD.

Anxiety Therapy, Bethesda MD

Anxiety and stress often get in the way of a fulfilling life and we believe therapy can help. Our individual counselors and marriage and family therapists have been trained to help people think about the stress in their lives in the context of their relationships. You benefit from this ‘systems thinking’ approach because it brings your stress outside of your own self and into the world of your relationships. This is very freeing! We work together to achieve your goals, always reaching toward a more peaceful life. We often incorporate helpful books or in-session tasks that expand our conversations and deepen the benefits of talk therapy. Read more about therapy in Bethesda, MD for anxiety and stress.

Play Therapy, Bethesda MD

Children learn about themselves and their world through play. Play therapy for children ages 3+ is a safe place for them to learn new skills, process trauma, and gain control over their emotions and behaviors. Parents are highly involved in play therapy treatment so that improvements continue at home and at school. If you are seeking support for your child, or support for yourself as a parent, our play therapist can help. Read more about getting help for your child through play therapy in Bethesda, MD.